


Notes on the Starwatch AU

by SadakoTetsuwan



Category: Overwatch (Video Game), Star Trek
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 17:14:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19430482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadakoTetsuwan/pseuds/SadakoTetsuwan
Summary: This document includes resources on the crew manifest of the USS Apache, Starbase 293, and the new alien species introduced in the Starwarch AU. A few basic notes on Starfleet are included as well, both to help guide those relatively unfamiliar with the Prime Universe's 24th century as well as to keep track of the choices I made regarding this Starfleet.





	1. Basic References

**Ranks:**

In Starfleet in the 24th century, commissioned rank is typically denoted by a certain number of 'rank pips' on the uniform’s collar. On a typical ship, one can expect to see the following ranks:

**Senior Line Officers:**

Captain – 4 pips (●●●●)

Commander – 3 pips (●●●)

Lieutenant Commander – 2 pips + 1 hollow pip (○●●)

**Junior Line Officers:**

Lieutenant – 2 pips (●●)

Lieutenant Jr. Grade – 1 pip + 1 hollow pip (○●)

Ensign – 1 pip (●)

Non-commissioned officers and crew, as well as technicians outside of the traditional command structure, wear collar tabs with chevrons indicating relative rank similar to many historical Earth militaries. Some old-fashioned Petty Officers continue to wear the older style single 'hollow pip' to indicate their rank, but most of these officers have since retired from active duty; this form of rank is usually found now only in old photographs and records.

**Departments:**

Starfleet crew and personnel are divided into 3 divisions:

**Command** – Indicated by a **Red** uniform, the Command Division consists of officers whose main duties relate to controlling and administrating starships, starbases, and Starfleet as a whole. Command training often includes significant training in tactics, to allow Command officers to efficiently give orders to the Security and Tactics subdivisions in emergency or combat situations. Though they exist to administer the ship as a whole, Command Red is rarely seen running individual departments such as Engineering or Medical; Starfleet prefers for experts in the field to run such departments, with lower-ranked Command personnel instead coordinating between departments or taking on non-specialized administrative duties such as filing paperwork with Starfleet Command on behalf of department heads.

**Operations** – Indicated by a **Gold** uniform, the Operations Division this includes security and engineering. Operations focuses on the day-to-day work of keeping a starship in top condition, and Gold uniforms are commonly seen throughout a ship in all areas. Engineering, in addition to their work in the engine room and maintaining the ship’s computer systems, often works closely with Sciences, keeping their instruments in check and assisting in the operation and construction of new instruments and tools for their work. Security’s main task on most starships is routine inspections of tactical operations and small arms, controlling traffic to high-security areas, and escorting non-Starfleet individuals throughout the ship (and occasionally, escorting Starfleet personnel to the brig if necessary). Tactics officers fall in-between Security and Engineering, maintaining the ship’s main defenses and operating plasma cannons, photon torpedo launchers, shields, and other shipwide defense systems.

**Science** – Indicated by a **Blue** uniform, the Sciences Division contains both scientific and medical personnel. Officers from the Sciences Division don't often leave their posts, except for when a duty rotation or emergency call places them outside of their main department. Enlisted Medical personnel, when spotted outside of Sick Bay, are most often in the company of Security; as the first responders to any unusual activity on a starship, Security often needs the assistance of Medical personnel. Science officers are core to many away missions, and as such are common sights in the transporter rooms and the shuttle bay.


	2. Ship's Manifest, USS Apache

**USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)**

**Class** : Nova-class

**Registry** : NCC-72013

**Owner** : United Federation of Planets

**Operator** : Starfleet

**Status** : Active

**Purpose** : Short-range planetary survey

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/memoryalpha/images/2/28/Nova_class_MSD.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100715114314&path-prefix=en

**Ship’s Manifest:**

**Commanding Officer: Jesse James McCree (** ●●●● **)**

Gender: Male  
Species: Human  
Rank: Captain  
Occupation: Commanding Officer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: June 7, 2332 Amarillo, Texas, Earth  
Parents: William Bonney McCree and Maria Espinoza McCree  
Marital Status: Single ( _seeing Shimada Hanzo_ )

Jesse is the first captain of the USS _Apache_ , named in honor of his tribe. Though it is not his first command, it is the first ship that he has flown for its maiden voyage.

**First Officer: Fareeha Amari (●●●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Human  
Rank: Commander  
Occupation: Chief Tactical Officer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: Cairo, Egypt, Earth  
Parents: Sam and Admiral Ana Amari  
Marital Status: Single ( _seeing Satya Vaswani_ )

The only child of Admiral Ana Amari, Fareeha always dreamed of entering Starfleet. Though her mother was nervous about her pursuing Tactics rather than a safer career path, she has excelled in her field and rose quickly through the ranks. Upon earning her third pip, she was requested to join the inaugural crew of the _Apache_.

**Second Officer: Dr. Moira O’Deorain (●●●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Human(?)  
Rank: Commander  
Occupation: Chief Science Officer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: Dublin, Ireland, Earth  
Marital Status: Single

A brilliant scientist, Dr. O'Deorain has distinguished herself with her genetics research. She sees the day-to-day work of serving on a starship as a distraction from her work, but grudgingly complies for the research opportunities being a member of a crew provides. Dr. O'Deorain refuses to use a transporter; an uncommon phobia in the 24th century, but one which most observers assume is related to her intensive study of genetics and the potential effects of molecular transport on the genome. (In actuality, it is because she is a Changeling from the Gamma Quadrant. Whether she has taken the place of a _real_ Dr. O'Deorain or if she has always been a Changeling is uncertain, as the humans she has listed as her parents are deceased.)

**Chief Engineer: Brigitte Lindholm (●●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Half-Human  
Rank: Lieutenant  
Occupation: Chief Engineer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: USS _Yggdrasil  
_ Parents: Commander Torbjörn Lindholm and Ingrid Lindholm  
Sibling(s): 8 siblings  
Marital Status: Single ( _seeing D.Va Song_ )

**Chief Medical Officer: Dr. Angela Ziegler (●●●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Human  
Rank: Commander  
Occupation: Chief Medical Officer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Marital Status: Single

**Counselor: Tekhartha Zenyatta (○●●)**

Gender: Male  
Species: Omnic  
Rank: Lieutenant Commander  
Occupation: Ship’s Counselor, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Construction: First Omnium  
Marital Status: Single  
Other Relative(s): Tekhartha Mondatta

**Helmsman:** **Lena Oxton (●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Human  
Rank: Ensign  
Occupation: Helmsman, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: London. England, Earth  
Marital Status: Engaged ( _to Emily Johnson_ )

**Transporter Chief: Satya Vaswani (●●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Human  
Rank: Lieutenant  
Occupation: Transporter Chief, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: Hyderabad, India, Earth  
Marital Status: Single ( _seeing Fareeha Amari_ )

**Medical Staff:**

**Chief Nurse: Lúcio Correia dos Santos (●●)**

Gender: Male  
Species: Human  
Rank: Lieutenant  
Occupation: Nurse, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Earth  
Marital Status: Single

**Security Staff:**

**Aleksandra Zaryanova (●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Human  
Rank: Ensign  
Occupation: Security Officer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: Siberia, Earth  
Marital Status: Single ( _seeing Mei-Ling Zhou_ )

**Orisa Oladele (●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Omnic  
Rank: Honorary Ensign  
Occupation: Security Officer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Construction: Starfleet Academy, San Francisco, Earth. (Chassis originally constructed in the Fourth Omnium)  
Creator: Efi Oladele  
Marital Status: Single

**Science Staff:**

**Head of Astrophysics:** **Shimada Hanzo** **(○●●** **)**

Gender: Middle (Egg-Layer)  
Species: Dravaran  
Affiliation: Federation Starfleet  
Rank: Lieutenant Commander  
Occupation: Astrophysicist, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: 2331, Dravar-2  
Parents: Shimada Sojiro, Masako and Kennosuke  
Sibling(s): Shimada Genji  
Marital Status: Single ( _seeing Jesse McCree_ )

Due to his existing expertise in Astrophysics and a long tradition of excellence in the Shimada clan, Hanzo is the first Dravaran deemed worthy by the Imperial government to attend Starfleet Academy. Having already obtained a degree with honors from the Imperial Science Academy and having already begun publishing, Hanzo's time in San Francisco was truncated and treated more as a graduate program than the typical 4 year cadet experience. Graduating into the rank of Lieutenant, Hanzo served mostly on starbases and as a scientific liaison to Dravar-2 before accepting a posting to the USS _Apache_.

**Head of Climatology: Dr. Mei-Ling Zhou (●●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Human  
Rank: Lieutenant  
Occupation: Climatologist, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: Xi’an, China, Earth  
Marital Status: Single ( _seeing Aleksandra Zaryanova_ )

**Engineering Staff:**

**Winston (●)**

Gender: Male  
Species: Lowland Gorilla  
Rank: Ensign  
Occupation: Engineer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Marital Status: Single  
Other Relative(s): Dr. Harold Winston

Genetic engineering was outlawed on Earth after the Eugenics Wars of the late 20th century, and remains illegal in Federation law. Scientists not so concerned with questions of legality have often left the Federation, heading to less legally regulated worlds like Trialas IV and Adigeon Prime. The scientists who created Winston were no different, carrying out experiments in neural pathway formation and other genetic resequencing projects. Many of the animals experimented on turned violent with continued experimentation as their intelligence and awareness increased, but Winston instead sought an escape rather than revenge. He managed to build such a method of escape and flew for Federation space, eventually being rescued by an away team lead by a Federation doctor, Harold Winston.

**Efi Oladele (●)**

Gender: Female  
Species: Human  
Rank: Ensign  
Occupation: Engineer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Born: Numbani, Nigeria, Earth  
Marital Status: Single  
Other Relative(s): Orisa Oladele

While studying robotics, the prodigy Efi Oladele met an elderly Omnic who granted Efi the honor of taking its chassis and rebuilding a new Omnic with its components. From this gift, Efi constructed Orisa. This project caught the attention of Starfleet, who offered her a place at the Academy to pursue the finest education in engineering that Sector 001 had to offer. Efi holds the honor of being one of the youngest graduates in the history of Starfleet Academy.

**Other Staff:**

**Mess Officer: Bastion  
** Gender: Nonbinary  
Species: Omnic  
Occupation: Mess Officer, USS _Apache_ (NCC-72013)  
Construction: Seventh Omnium  
Marital Status: Single

A quiet Omnic, Bastion has what is considered among Omnics a strange interest--food. Though they cannot eat, Bastion happily cooks for the crew of the Apache, communicating with a series of tweets and beeps due to a damaged vocalizer. (Omnics from the Seventh Omnium do not believe in replacing components so damaged they themselves cannot repair, bearing such damage as badges of honor and courage. Bastion does not have these concerns, but shares in the cultural aversion to extraordinary repair.)


	3. Alien Species: Dravarans

**Dravarans**

Hanzo's species, the Dravarans, are a race of large warm-blooded reptilian humanoids who originate on the planet known on Federation starcharts as Dravar II, but is known to the natives as Kenkon. A major power in their local interplanetary politics, the Dravarans entered the Federation along with 15 other planets in their open cluster’s Interplanetary Parliament. Eight planets in the Parliament did not consent to joining the Federation, so the local parliament has not dissolved.

**Physiology**

Dravarans resemble humanoid Long (Chinese dragons), so their traits are not entirely consistent with other reptilian alien species in fiction. They do have fish-like scales and large segmented cartilagenous armored plates along their spines, but they also have large expanses of soft flesh, largely on their faces, necks and chests—what would be their underbellies if they were quadrupedal. Elderly Dravarans have hair that extends down the cartilaginous ridge along their back, terminating at the end of their narrow tails. Some Dravarans choose to maintain ‘facial hair’ as part of their manes, but many do not. Dravarans have antler-like horns protruding from their skulls.

Dravarans have three biological sexes: 'Beginning', 'Middle' and 'End'. Among Dravarans, there is not the sexual dimorphism (trimorphism?) we see in disexual species—“male” and “female” Dravarans do not exist within their culture, but physical characteristics which are considered ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ by human standards exist in all three sexes. [ _No alien boobs or Hartman hips, though._ ] Hanzo and his “mother”, Masako, are both the same biological sex, but her physical characteristics are finer and she is slighter in stature than Hanzo (and when speaking English she uses feminine pronouns); likewise, both Genji and Masako choose not to grow or maintain facial hair, unlike Hanzo, Sojiro, and Sojiro’s brother Kennosuke—the one who gave birth to Hanzo and Genji. At birth, a Dravaran’s biological sex can be partially discerned by the shape of their cloacal opening; Beginnings have horizontal cloacas to accommodate their hemipenes, while Middles and Ends both have vertical cloacae. (Middles can be distinguished from Ends by pressing lightly on their abdomens; this pressure will cause a Middle's ovipositor to emerge.)

Dravarans have five digits on their hands, but most only have four on their feet, in an anisodactyl arrangement (three forward, with one shorter toe pointed backward, adapted for walking while also allowing for grasping and rending of prey). The Imperial family is known for having five digits on their feet. Each digit ends in a long, sharp talon, which are usually capped in some way to prevent damage to both the talons and to whatever surface the Dravaran is walking on. Dravarans have a long femur, a shorter tibiotarsus, and a long tarsometatarsus, resulting in an always bent knee and a high, angled hock [ _look at the legs of D.Va’s MEKA or a T-Rex for an idea of what his legs look like_ ], as well as _very_ quick and powerful kicks and jumps. Their legs have bird-like scales on their feet up to the hock, transitioning into their typical fish-like scales on the leg proper. While walking, all four toes typically touch the ground; while running, the first (rear) digit is held off the ground to prevent it from catching or dragging on anything. Dravarans have defined leathery digital and metacarpal pads on their feet—colloquially called ‘toe beans’ by many an excited Human observer. [ _look at the feet of harpy eagles and secretary birds_ _for an idea of what they look like_ ].

As a result of his foot shape, Hanzo has to wear specially designed uniform ‘sandals’ with special permission from Starfleet certifying that they fit the uniform code. He typically wraps his toes in the same way that a human officer would wear socks under their uniform boots as well.

Like many species on Dravar-2, Dravarans have a double larynx, allowing for a wide variety of subvocal tones.

Dravaran tails have evolved down to a narrower, more whip-like form as they grew more and more upright in their body carriage. Their tails are not prehensile, and have low muscle mass compared to the rest of their body. Tails are often elaborately decorated with jewelry.

**Cuisine**

Dravarans are facultative carnivores, preferring meat to other options but still capable of processing small amounts of plant matter.

Meat is a staple in Dravaran diets, with great attention paid to seasoning and preservation techniques such as smoking, pickling, fermenting, and so on. Cooking is treated as just another preservation or seasoning technique; most cooked meats in Dravaran cuisine are never cooked beyond rare. Many Dravaran delicacies are also served while still alive, or are slaughtered and carved at the table in high class establishments. For this reason, Dravaran cuisine is largely unpalatable to humans, but many human dishes are considered exciting culinary explorations to Dravarans, including lutefisk, salami, hongeo-hoe, pickled pig feet, and pancetta. Klingon dishes have become wildly popular on Dravar-2 since joining the Federation.

Dravarans are incapable of processing lactose, and cannot adhere to a vegetarian diet due to their digestive systems. The Dravaran equivalent of ethical vegetarian/vegan diets is voluntary scavenging, eating only meat that has died of natural causes or foods such as eggs, which are not considered ‘alive’ or ‘potential life’ in Dravaran culture (though they typically choose to eat only unfertilized eggs, as they are more easily obtained—much like humans consumption of chicken eggs).

Very long, elaborate multi-course meals are not a traditional part of Dravaran culture. A typical Dravaran eats 5-6 small meals throughout the day, typically featuring a few varieties of meats, eggs (raw or cooked), fruits, and a small amount of fibrous vegetable matter to maintain their digestive health. Nuts and dried fruits are commonly eaten as convenient snacks between meals, to keep their metabolism rate fairly even throughout the day.

**Sex and Reproduction**

Dravarans have three biological sexes with considerable physical variation independent of biological sex. There is no equivalent English gender term for each sex, but they are loosely translated as 'Beginning' (in initial xenoanthropological texts as 'fertilizer'), 'Middle' ('egg-layer') and 'End' ('surrogate').

Beginnings are viewed as rash an impulsive, but charismatic and inspiring. Middles are stereotypically considered logical and collected, with a great deal of poise. Ends are thought to be nurturing and lighthearted, and are great entertainers and performers. Triple bond mating groups are very common, forming a larger family unit than humans typically experience. Also common is for one End to act as a surrogate for several biologically related bonded pairs. For example, Hanzo's 'paternal uncle' Kennosuke acted as the surrogate for his brother Sojiro and his partner Masako, successfully carrying two clutches to term and birthing one child from each; a Middle (Hanzo) and an End (Genji), in addition to one clutch for one of Masako's relatives, and one clutch from his own triple bond mating group. (The incest taboos of the Dravarans are not well understood by xenoanthropologists due to most researchers not intuitively understanding a trisexual system and what familial relationships emerge as a result.)

The Beginning internally inseminates the Middle by inserting thin, prehensile everting hemipenes into the Middle's cloaca and depositing semen in or near the egg channel, where various internal structures will draw semen into the egg channel and onto awaiting eggs. Whether fertilized or not, eggs will move up the Middle's abdominal cavity until they reach the egg chamber, where a leathery shell is deposited and where excess fluid is absorbed through the shells to protect the yolks inside. Eggs can be held in the Middle's body for a few days before they must be expelled or risk rupturing the ovipositor upon passage—a life-threatening complication akin to an ectopic pregnancy in humans, but occurring on a much more rapid time scale. (If a Middle cannot find a mate willing to accept their eggs in time, unlaid eggs will eventually be sterilized due to the temperature and pH balance inside the egg chamber and are reabsorbed by the body. Surgical intervention may be necessary to remove any obstructing eggs which are blocking the ovipositor. Embarrassed Dravaran Middles often seek to have unlaid eggs surgically removed even if they are not obstructing their ovipositor, as the reabsorbtion process takes several very uncomfortable weeks). In an ideal scenario, the Middle will quickly carry the fertilized eggs to the End and will then impregnate the End via their larger, semi-prehensile ovipositor via intercourse. The End then carries the clutch, incubating the eggs for 2-3 months. Although the End typically incubates clutches of about 12 eggs at a time, multiple births are exceedingly rare—the offspring that hatches first usually cannibalizes the other eggs in the womb.

Through a process of horizontal gene transfer, some genetic material from the End is transferred to some of the eggs they carry. This has not yet been studied by Dravaran scientists, but if they did, they would find that the rare cases of multiple births have a higher percentage of horizontally transferred DNA from their surrogates. However, not all eggs—and not all hatched eggs, either—have genetic material from their surrogates.

It is also common for no eggs to ultimately hatch—this situation is called 'shoganai' and a family group may repeatedly try over a dozen mating cycles before successfully hatching one child. Historically, this 'shoganai' situation was avoided by triune bonds being more fluid than typical human mating bonds, allowing for Beginnings, Middles and Ends to mix into other loose family units in an attempt to produce offspring if one link in the chain was suspected of being weaker than the others. Greater contact with outside cultures has had a crystalizing effect on the triune family bonds, however, leading to a greater rate of fertility complications. There is an increasing number of pair bonded mates emerging rather than triune bonds, with unbonded individuals acting more in accordance with the traditional fluid relationship arrangements, even selling services in some cases. (Again, the lack of intuitive familiarity with trisexual species has lead to a great deal of frustration among xenoanthropologists as they attempt to work out the social rules dictating which relationships in such a scenario are taboo. Dravarans seem to have no difficulty with this.)

**Society and Culture**

Dravaran culture is complex, but peaceful; every Dravaran knows their current place in society, and what relations they have to others as well. Though quite stratified, the structure is not totally rigid, as it is largely a technocracy. There is an Emperor whose office is largely ceremonial, and though many members of the Imperial family—the Emperor included—may hold offices in the sprawling bureaucracy of Dravaran government, it is agreed that their expertise in their fields is unmatched. Members of the Imperial family are known to be encouraged in niche fields both as a way of preserving cultural knowledge and, more cynically, as a way of ensuring their power is retained.

Non-Imperial family members with five toes are viewed as having important destinies; many important historical figures are thus depicted with five toes, whether they had them or not. Twins are extremely rare (as the first egg to hatch typically cannibalizes the rest of the clutch before they are born), and are said to have destinies as diplomats and peacemakers.

Dravarans decorate their antlers depending on their social station and marital status. Dravarans seeking a mate will leave their antlers bare in a racy display of ‘undress’, mated Dravarans wear lavish brocade wraps around their antlers secured with filigree chains, and Dravarans not looking for partners wrap their antlers in plain fabric or yarn.

**Language**

Dravaran languages are quite rich, but almost impossible for non-Dravarans to speak due to the Dravaran double larynx. Though syllables can only be formed from the sounds of one set of vocal cords and the phonemes are easily pronounceable for most non-Dravaran speakers, there are a variety of simultaneously pronounced guttural tones ranging from purrs to deep infrasound which usually cannot be formed by non-Dravarans. The structure of the Dravaran inner ear allows for a much wider auditory range than humans, meaning that even learning the language can be a challenge for non-Dravaran language students, since some tones will be missed.

The Dravaran language is said to be incredibly honest, as these guttural tones are somewhat involuntary; lying is thus difficult in Dravaran, and is easily discerned. Among other species, however, dishonesty is less easily identified by Dravarans.

Dravarans can also produce high-pitched trills, chirps and ululation, but these vocalizations are typically restricted to courtship and mating customs, part of a threat display, or a warning cry. They do not carry any semantic meaning and are thus not considered features of the language.

Dravaran grammar does not feature gendered pronouns; the gender of the sentence subject is instead indicated via verb conjugation. Tense and gender are linked, with a ‘doubled’ tense marker indicating the gender of the subject (this is typically only seen when the subject of the sentence is a Dravaran, as other animate and inanimate objects are not considered to have gender—including non-Dravarans!). Use of names is considered preferred and proper—when the subject’s name or title is unknown, they are referred to by honorary titles such as ‘Teacher’, ‘Minister’ or ‘Master’, which in turn take a formal register (and overrides the gender conjugation altogether). When speaking English, Dravarans usually remain consistent in their usage of personal pronouns, but rarely have a truly ‘preferred’ pronoun as the Dravaran concepts of biological sex and gender roles do not translate well to human concepts—not even in the progressive 24th century—and usually accept the pronouns that their non-Dravaran friends and associates feel suits them best. (For example, Hanzo accepts the pronouns he/him, and Masako accepts the pronouns she/her, though neither could really explain why they feel okay with them beyond ‘It makes the humans happy’.)

Dravaran music has always been richly textured as a result of the Dravaran double larynx, and though syllables can only be articulated from one set of vocal cords, a charming duet can easily be sung by one Dravaran singer. In contrast to Earth music theory history, monophony is a somewhat later musical development whose usage is considered avant garde at best, and frankly unsettling at worst. (And just as in Earth music, one of the most difficult things for a choir of Dravarans to accomplish is collapsing into perfect unison across _all_ vocal chords.) Earth Barbershop music has become a recent fad in Dravaran conservatories due to the amusing way the overtones are perceived by Dravaran ears.


	4. Alien Species: Formenans

**Formenans**

D.Va’s species, the Formenans, are a race of warm-blooded organo-metallic humanoids from a planet known to the Federation as Formenos V, but called Ω.Tha by the Formenans. The Formenan demonym for both themselves and their symbiotes in their native language is also Ω.Tha. The Formenans are known for their symbiotic relationship with a family of biometallic organisms called MEKAs. Through selective breeding, Formenans were able to achieve space travel and faster-than-light speed through purely biological means.

**MEKA**

One of the most unique aspects of Formenan culture is their symbiotic relationship with biometallic megafauna known collectively as MEKAs. MEKAs have considerably higher concentrations of metals in their exoskeletons than Formenans, using their durable metallic shells to brush off attacks from predators. Moving with herds of prehistoric MEKAs, the ancestral Formenans were able to protect themselves and domesticate the MEKAs to increase both species chances for survival.

Formenans and MEKAs have been coevolving for millions of years, and almost all Formenan technology is based on selective breeding of MEKAs to grow housing, transportation, tools, and ultimately spaceships.

**Physiology**

Formenans are small in stature, with almost all individuals less than 1.75m regardless of sex. Most animal species on Formenos V are organo-metallic, including Formenans. Formenan bones are largely composed of nanotube bundles, making them highly durable and lightweight.

Domesticated MEKAs have been selectively bred to suit almost all Formenan needs. Their physiology is largely metallic, with silicon-based nervous systems. Wild MEKAs have more general physiological body plans than the highly specialized modern domestic MEKAs, and two unique species of wild MEKA often resemble one another more than two varieties of domestic MEKA. [think about the difference between a wolf and a Pug, the between a Pug and a Borzoi.]

**Cuisine**

Formenan dietary needs calls for considerably more minerals than most purely bio-organic species; rocks and minerals are often ground into fine powders and used in the same manner as herbs and spices in human cuisine. Aside from this, they are largely capable of digesting human foods, although they usually forego typical Earth desserts in favor of rock crystal and other gems.

MEKAs almost solely consume minerals, and one of the earliest uses that prehistoric Formenans found in their relationship with the wild MEKAs was feeding various materials to MEKAs to gather their newly amalgamated waste products.

**Sex and Reproduction**

Formenans reproduce sexually and are disexual like humans, and have live births.

**Society and Culture**

Although Formenans are a disexual species and display sexual dimorphism, gender expression is considerably more varied. What humans consider ‘androgyny’ is a common ‘third gender’ in Formenan society, and Formenan culture’s relationship with gender also includes an element of one’s career. (For example, D.Va’s gender presentation and her mother’s are both considered feminine among her human crewmates, but on Formenos V their different careers have different ramifications on their gender experience; the closest human comparison might be ‘butch’ and ‘femme’. Humans usually understand these gender presentation variations as merely subcultural norms; e.g. ‘programmers wear headphones and cargo shorts’, rather than understanding it fundamentally as a gender presentation.)

**Language**

There are two parallel languages spoken by Formenans; one which facilitates communication with MEKAs, and the other which is purely Formenan. The pure Formenan language is filled with detail descriptors, poetic language and metaphor, while the MEKA language is precise, logic-based and highly regular, having developed as a way for the organic-brained Formenans to communicate with the silicon-brained MEKAs.

As Formenans have been breeding and living symbiotically with MEKAs for millions of years, one might assume that one language would have subsumed the other, but the digital nature of the MEKA language has prevented any complete synthesis of the languages. Formenans can translate the digital MEKA language into spoken Formenan, and captive-bred MEKAs have little difficulty translating this spoken Formenan MEKA back into digital sequences. Wild MEKAs are incapable of understanding spoken Formenan MEKA, meaning that Formenans who primarily work with wild MEKAs must be talented programmers who are skilled at reading and coding the digital MEKA language without spoken Formenan.

Formenans have a trinomial naming system, including two personal names (one Formenan, one MEKA) and a gens name. For example, the name ‘Hana D.Va Song’ contains a Formenan personal name, a MEKA personal name, and the gens Song. Formenans on their home world place the gens name first, followed by the MEKA name, with the Formenan personal name last (‘Song D.Va Hana’). Most Formenans encountered by alien spacecraft will identify themselves by their MEKA name and gens due to being present on a MEKA starship when encounters are made in space.


	5. Alien Species: Omnics

**Omnics**

Omnics are a race of purely mechanical beings, designed and built to assist their creator race in deep space. However, the civilization which designed and built them has long since gone extinct. Nine factory planets, known as Omniums, were discovered in deep space, and have been constructing Omnics for centuries.

**Physiology**

Omnics are robots coming in many shapes and sizes, but all contain a few of the same basic features, including a miniaturized reactor which can power an Omnic for over a century, even through strenuous activity. Both Tekhartha Zenyatta and Bastion are Omnics, and Ensign Orisa was built from an Omnic chassis with the express permission of the previous Omnic.

**Cuisine**

Omnics are purely mechanical, and as a result do not have digestive tracts. Omnics can take in various forms of energy to supplement their built-in reactors, and apparently view this as similar to the process of enjoying a meal. (Taking in outside energy is not necessary for day to day function; Omnic reactors can sustain their function for almost a century without repair. However, there is no apparent way to recharge or replace a reactor, and Omnics whose reactors have ceased functioning must remain ‘plugged in’ to an energy source or suffer immediate cessation of function.)

**Sex and Reproduction**

New Omnics are built in Omniums, hollow Dyson Sphere-like structures built around a moon or planetoid which supplied the raw materials for Omnic production. When all of the material inside the Omnium is exhausted, the factory shuts down. If new supplies are brought to it in the form of other asteroids, salvaged material, or the remains of non-functioning Omnics, then the factories will restart production until supplies run out again.

Some Omniums are kept in constant production by dedicated cultures of Omnics who view maintaining the Omnium as one of the most important tasks of their species (as it grants Omnics the ability to reproduce, thus meeting one of the standard Federation criteria for life). These Omnics are known for scrapping and salvaging lost or damaged ships, as well as gathering interplanetary debris and cast off junk from other species to continue the Omnium’s function. These groups also function as ‘morticians’ for the rest of the species, accepting the remains of non-functioning Omnics and recycling them into newly ‘born’ Omnics. No matter what the local culture for a group of Omnics may be, these ‘morticians’ are viewed with great respect and dignity.

**Society and Culture**

The culture which has arisen around each of the nine Omniums is very different. Following the destruction of the Third Omnium, a holy war was waged against the inhabitants of the sector it had previously inhabited, an event known as the ‘Omnic Crisis’ in that sector. The Omnics from the other 8 Omniums had varying responses, from strong support from the Eighth Omnium to outright condemnation from the First Omnium, who assisted in defense and relief efforts during the Crisis. These differences in opinion have caused a great deal of friction between Omnic populations.

**Language**

Omnics are capable of reproducing the sounds of any species, and are thus able to learn to speak any interstellar language. Natively, Omnics from all 9 Omniums share a unified programming code which can also be used as a form of communication. Omnics communicate wirelessly with one another, but typically speak aloud when in the presence of non-Omnics as a gesture of goodwill.

Due to their wireless communication and identification protocols, Omnics can immediately identify the construction date and Omnium from which any other Omnic originally came from.


End file.
